I talk with thousands of people every year about health, fitness and exercise goals. We always start there, and oftentimes we’ll end up discussing careers, marriages and life. We talk about the positives and the negatives. The wins and losses. The challenges that make progress seem impossible and successes that make all of our hard work worth it.

I’ll let you in on an industry secret. Everyone faces adversity. I’ve never spoken to anyone who has been on a constant and steady road to success when it comes to their fitness, body composition, strength, weight-loss, marriage, business or any other goal for that matter. After working with thousands of people and meeting with hundreds of professionals, I’ve never met anyone who isn’t facing adversity, hitting plateaus or even taking steps backwards at times.

Diet’s fall short. Workout programs end up dead in the water. We all lose motivation only to find ourselves 6 months into a whole bunch of “nothing” with an extra 20 pounds on the scale (who the hell put that there?!). It happens.

That person who you look to for motivation or leadership when it comes to fitness has without a doubt had setbacks or taken steps backwards. They’ve felt lost, like they were missing something or spinning their wheels without a clear plan of how to get to their goals. Most of the times we set out on a path with a few tools that will probably work, and hope that we’ll land somewhere near the bullseye. It’s overwhelming. Sometimes it’s discouraging. Other times it doesn’t work. Sometimes it does.

The difference between those that see success and those who don’t is that we inevitably course correct.

We continue putting one foot in front of the other. We look back at how far we’ve come and choose to continue making steps forward even if we’ve been standing still for a few days, or weeks, or months. Hell, maybe we even took a few steps backwards and thought about throwing in the towel.

The truth is that success doesn’t come from constant victories. It comes from failing quickly and regularly making hard decisions. Decisions that you don’t want to make in the moment, but your future self will thank you for. It comes from always looking ahead and making intentional choices in every aspect of our life.

You won’t find someone that puts their health and fitness on the front burner without seeing positive trends in every other aspect of their life.

It starts with self-awareness. Once you’re aware, you can start making choices. With awareness and intentionality comes the ability to practice consistency. There is a lot of power in being consistent, and that’s what most people are missing. It’s probably what you need to reach your goals, whatever they may be.

Sometimes, you’re going to win. Other times, you’re going to fall short. It’s inevitable. The deciding factor on if you ever crest the peaks that you set out for depends entirely on your willingness to consistently make intentional choices.

You might be in a valley right now. It might feel dark, and hopeless. It may seem like change is impossible with your work schedule and responsibilities to your family. It may feel like you’re looking up at Mount Everest and there’s no way you can ever scale that mountain. Whether you’re trying to land a new career, lose 100 pounds or finally start that thing that scares the shit out of you, remember. Nothing worth having comes easily. You have the option to be successful. But climbing out of a valley starts with a plan, and a step.

“Think about taking a trip on an airplane. Before taking off, the pilot has a very clear destination in mind, which hopefully coincides with yours, and a flight plan to get there. The plane takes off at the appointed hour toward that predetermined destination. But in fact, the plane is off course at least 90 percent of the time. Weather conditions, turbulence, and other factors cause it to get off track. However, feedback is given to the pilot constantly, who then makes course corrections and keeps coming back to the exact flight plan, bringing the plane back on course. And often, the plane arrives at the destination on time. It’s amazing. Think of it. Leaving on time, arriving on time, but off course 90 percent of the time.”

– Stephen Covey

If you need feedback, or directions, I’m here for you. You might be off course right now, and that’s okay. You’ll get to your destination. Just keep your eyes on the horizon and make decisions today that keep you on course, wherever you’re going.

In Health,

Coty